Thanks to streaming, there have been noticeably plenty of book-to-movie adaptations in the past year or so, especially in the romance genre. Major studios have picked up and are releasing film adaptations of books such as The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry, and many more. These books are shaping up to be successful and well-received.
Not all adaptations are lucky, however. Sometimes, the producers fail to translate the magic of the book to film, creating an underwhelming theatrical production. Sometimes, the source material lacks a solid foundation for an adaptation to begin with.
In this list, I selected five of the worst romance book-to-film adaptations, according to Rotten Tomatoes. The list is not meant to be definitive, since I’ve skipped adaptations from decades ago in favor of ones released from the early 2010s and beyond.
To accurately reflect a bad consensus, let’s mention both of Rotten Tomatoes’ rating systems: the critic rating, known as the Tomatometer, and the audience rating, or the Popcornmeter. It’s fascinating to see how these two distinct audiences perceive adaptations: often, where the Tomatometer sank to the bottom, the Popcornmeter did the opposite, which means audiences liked it more.
Here are five of the worst recent romance book adaptations to have hit the screen.
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Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James
Tomatometer: 11%. Popcornmeter: 38%
It’s clear that this film was poorly received by both critics and audiences. Though I read the entire trilogy more than 10 years ago, I have no desire to watch the films; the source material has plenty of flaws that the film adaptation can’t easily fix.
The trilogy follows Ana and Christian as they begin a BDSM relationship. Young Ana interviews Christian, but he develops an immediate desire to be with her. He offers a contract, and when they perform the deed, Ana discovers that she may not be into Christian’s sexual practices. The subsequent books, including this one, continue their love and sex affair, with plenty of drama from side characters, push-and-pull dynamics, and eventually a happily ever after.
The series and film sparked debates about intimacy, sexuality, and boundaries.
The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles
Tomatometer: 17%. Popcornmeter: 55%
It appears that audiences liked this adaptation more than critics, but 55% is still not considered good. Even the actor Jacob Elordi, who plays Noah, and whose career was apparently launched by this film franchise, hated it.
The Kissing Booth is a YA novel that follows Elle and Lee, who have been best friends since childhood. Elle has a huge crush on Lee’s brother, Noah. When Elle and Lee organize a kissing booth at their school’s Spring Carnival, she enters the booth blindfolded. Noah appears to have a crush on her as well, kissing her inside the booth.
The consensus on Rotten Tomatoes is that the film “deploys every rom-com cliché in the book with little care given to achieving any real sentiment.”
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Tomatometer: 45%. Popcornmeter: 61%
Though the ratings aren’t as bad as others on this list, the Tomatometer is still classified as “rotten” on the platform; those with a score of 59% or lower are.
The story follows Maddy, who has a rare disease called Severe Combined Immunodeficiency. She hasn’t left the house in 15 years and only talks to her mother and her nurse. As she stares out the window, she constantly yearns for social connections. But everything changes when a new neighbor moves in.
Amandla Stenberg and Nick Robinson played the leading roles in the film.
Half Girlfriend by Chetan Bhagat
Tomatometer: 15%. Popcornmeter: 61%
Half Girlfriend, a second-chance romance, feels a lot like metafiction as Madhav, the male lead, writes to author Chetan Bhagat about his relationship problems with Riya. The story follows them as childhood lovers in India, separating, Riya marrying another man, getting divorced, and meeting again. There’s another intense push-pull dynamic in the end until they truly, officially reunite and get their happily ever after.
With a 15% Tomatometer, it appears that audiences enjoyed the film more than critics.
Bhagat is widely known as the author of Five Point Someone, which was loosely adapted into the film 3 Idiots.
Something Like Summer by Jay Bell
Tomatometer: NA. Popcornmeter: 45%
This story follows Ben, an openly gay teen, and Tim, a closeted athlete. They are in a relationship, but because Tim is unable to come out, he publicly denies any involvement with Ben. Heartbroken, Ben goes to college and eventually meets Jace. Soon, they get married. Later on, however, Tim regrets his decision and admits that Ben is his The One That Got Away. Ben avoids him out of respect for his husband. But then a tragedy occurs, forcing them to reunite.
Though the four critics’ reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are insufficient to generate a Tomatometer, we can conclude that critics disliked it. The viewers were lukewarm about it, too: it has a Popcornmeter rating of 45%, which means it tanked.
These romance adaptations prove that sometimes, love stories are better kept on the pages.
If you want to check out the good ones, here are the Best Romance Book Adaptations.